News

Kentucky and Minnestoa are moving closer to removing their respective states' bans on the constructio of nuclear power facilities. In Minnestoa, the State Senate voted overwhelmingly to scrap a 17-year-old state policy that bars energy regulators from issuing permits for new nuclear power plants.

The first class in the latest expansion of a nationwide partnership that trains veterans for, and places them in, careers in the plumbing and pipefitting industry is underway at Camp Douglas, Wisconsin.

The United Association’s Veterans in Piping, or VIP, offers 20 weeks of training necessary to become an apprentice. It includes 18 weeks of skills training and two weeks of transition to help veterans successfully return to civilian life. Job placement is guaranteed upon successful completion. The training is paid for by the United Association and free to returning heroes. Read more »

Egypt’s labor unions deserve some credit. According to a report presented at a symposium hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in February, 2010, there have been more than 3,000 labor protests by Egyptian workers since 2004.

Mark Dayton, ran on an agenda of taxing the rich and creating jobs—and he won. Governor Dayton is keeping his promise to Minnesota. This week, he presented a jobs and infrastructure bill that will create nearly 30,000 family-supporting jobs in our state.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has reached an agreement in principle with New York construction unions to build stores with unionized labor. The retail giant has been searching for potential sites for a Wal-Mart location in New York City in the face of fierce opposition from retail and grocery unions as well as elected officials. The main sticking points have been Wal-Mart’s wages and refusal to employ unionized workers in its stores. Read more »

The Minnesota Senate voted Wednesday to lift Minnesota's longstanding ban on new nuclear plants, handing Senate Republicans an easy victory on their first major floor vote of the legislative session. The debate lasted more than an hour and included five amendments from DFLers, all of which were voted down. The final tally was 50-14 in support of the bill, including some support from DFL lawmakers.

On January 28, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow spent most of her show talking about just how far the conservatives have moved over the years. She recalls that Dwight Eisenhower was a champion of Social Security, unemployment insurance and strong labor unions.

Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry Ken Peterson has appointed Jessica Looman to the position of assistant commissioner for construction codes and labor standards. Looman has worked for the past 10 years as general counsel for the Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota. There she worked on issues including collective bargaining, prevailing wage and unemployment insurance. Read more »

Professor Robert Reich from U Cal Berkley appeared on the Colbert Report show to talk about his most recent book:"Aftershock". Reich was the Secretary of Labor during the Clinton Administration and a real champion of Organized Labor. He is very candid about the redistribution of wealth which has lasted at least 30 years.

The federal legislation that extends Unemployment Insurance for people looking for work, along with the extension of improvements to tax credits for low-income working families, are expected to produce far more “bang for the buck” in terms of economic growth than the extension of tax cuts for high-income households. These findings come from a recent analysis by Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics. Read more »